"We want to show our gratefulness to all these GI's who came, at the risk of their life, to give us our freedom back." - Mathilde Schmetz, Thimister-Clermont, Belgium
Sixty years after World War II, a Belgian couple, Mathilde and Marcel Schmetz, remember American GIs' sacrifice during the war. They were so grateful that they created a museum to honor the soldiers who liberated their country.
The "Remember Museum" (
RememberMuseum.com - Welcome to M&M's) is located in an old barn in eastern Belgium near the Henri-Chapelle American Military Cemetery. 7,992 crosses and Stars of David mark the graves of young Americans who gave their lives, mostly during the Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest battle of the war in Europe.
Marcel was a small boy when his country was brutally annexed by the Nazis. He remembers the members of the First Infantry Division who camped on his family's farm. One night they vanished, suddenly called to battle. Marcel and his brother collected objects that the Americans left - mess kits, clothing, and last letters. Six decades later they are on display in the museum, along with other mementoes donated by WWII veterans.
Do One Nice Thing Features Marcel and Mathilde Schmetz (broken link)
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